Ethan's expression shifted as he listened to Uncle Jed's account.
"Strange armor? Was it like this…?" He tapped the Shatterstar control terminal strapped to his arm, and a projection flared into the air. The hologram was an image he had imprinted into the system from memory. The moment Uncle Jed mentioned a black-armored woman, unease had surged through him, as if something half-forgotten stirred awake.
When the armor's image shimmered into view, Uncle Jed froze. His gaze locked on the strange, twisted design, his face blank, as though his mind had gone elsewhere.
"Well, is it? Speak up!" Ethan pressed, his voice tight with urgency.
But Uncle Jed only lowered his head and looked at him with dazed eyes. "I… I forgot. I don't know if it was like that anymore… What the hell happened to me? Damn it…" He struck his forehead with his palm, hard.
A dull boom echoed in Ethan's skull. Uncle Jed's reaction was more unsettling than confirmation.
